Thieves Target Your Batteries

It seems everyday we notice how the price of something else is going up You may have noticed how the price of car and boat batteries have increased But what s the connection between the cost of batteries and thefts of them Donnell Preskey has the story The cost of batteries has gone up significantly in the last year because lead which makes up 90 of a battery has skyrocketed Hugh McIntyre Interstate Battery the cost of batteries has doubled in the last year Lead is a commodity that s traded on open market like copper and steel - the more demand for that product drives cost up higher For every battery Interstate sells they like to recycle one In fact if you don t bring in a used battery you re charged 6 bucks That s not much of a problem these days McIntyre In past 12 months - farmsteads that have 50-100 batteries laying there It used to cost you to get the battery recycled - now we re paying 6 - 25 for battery depending on size Four years ago you would get maybe fifty cents for your used battery The increased pay out for used batteries can be linked to a recent rash of battery thefts Hugh McIntyre Interstate Battery people out there that drive around all look for is second source of income - driveways alleys something they can look for to make extra money Donnell Preskey Police say there s one way you can stop a thief from getting under your hood - lock your car In Bismarck Donnell Preskey KX News Interstate Battery takes their used batteries to a recycling center in Egan Minnesota Since the fall when prices increased for used batteries the cost of lead has decreased which is an indication that recycling is working